|
BUFFALO – There should be no case of the “Sunday Scaries” for the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres.
Both teams begin the day feeling pretty good about themselves as they get set to meet. The Jets rallied from a 3-0 deficit after 40 minutes to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 yesterday afternoon. And the Sabres found their offensive game, and then some, in rolling to a 7-2 rout of the Vegas Golden Knights yesterday evening.
Advertisement
Now, a chance for one of these clubs to make it a four-point weekend.
“We liked how we were playing a lot more towards our standard than we had been in recent memory,” Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey said of the latest effort. “So I think that gave us some confidence and then, you know, it’s great to give some quick ones there and build the confidence you know, puts them on their heels and then just found a way to grind and hopefully that’s when we can use this momentum builder and build up build off that for sure.”
We already know forward Gabe Vilardi will miss a second straight game as he deals with an upper-body injury. Whether Cole Perfetti, a healthy scratch against the Sabres, or Brenden Dillon, who missed the game due to illness, draw back in remains to be seen. Laurent Brossoit will get the call in net.
The Jets will likely see old friend Eric Comrie between the pipes for the Sabres, since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played against the Golden Knights. Buffalo is 10 points out of the final Eastern Conference wildcard playoff spot and really need to go on an extended run if they have any hope of playing meaningful spring hockey.
The Jets took the only previous meeting this season by a 3-2 score back on Nov. 17 at Canada Life Centre.
We expect Dillon and Perfetti to return to the lineup, but there could be some other tweaks as a flu bug makes its way through the room.
Here’s some other information to get you set:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: A key in Saturday’s victory was putting Nikolaj Ehlers up on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor to start the third period. That trio combined immediately on their first shift to start the comeback.
There’s no question Ehlers and Scheifele have chemistry together, as we saw earlier this season when Gabe Vilardi was on that line while Connor was still out with injury. Upon Connor’s return, Ehlers was moved down to the second line where he’s mostly remained.
Personally, I’d like to see Ehlers and Scheifele stick together for a while, with Vilardi joining him once he’s back in the lineup. And it would be worthwhile seeing whether Connor can mesh with Sean Monahan, in my opinion. We’ll see how that shakes out in the coming games.
Speaking of Monahan, he’s already in the running for best trade deadline addition, even though teams still have until Friday afternoon to complete deals. After potting the game-winner on Saturday, the veteran centre now has seven goals in 11 games since joining the Jets.
Now the big question is what else GM Kevin Cheveldayoff might have up his sleeve as he tries to add to a club that currently sits No. 1 in both the Central Division and Western Conference.
This is another chance for Brossoit to show what is becoming quite apparent — he’s simply too good for the current role he has in Winnipeg, playing behind the Vezina Trophy favourite in Connor Hellebuyck.
There are few, if any, better backups in the NHL right now, and I suspect Brossoit is going to get several contract offers this summer which would afford him the chance to become someone’s No. 1 or, at the very least, a 1A/1B type situation.
The good news for the Jets is he’s their insurance policy for the rest of the season.
FRED GREENSLADE / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Laurent Brossoit will be in net Sunday, who has been stellar as the Jets back up this season.
KEN SAYS: What will they do for an encore? After a stirring rally that included one of the best played periods of the entire season, the Jets will now face an urgent Sabres team that is battling to stay in the playoff race.
The reunited top trio had an outstanding effort, with Scheifele leading the way. Ehlers was flying and Connor found his legs in the third period. The one-handed play Josh Morrissey made to get to Scheifele for the game-winning goal capped an excellent sequence for the Jets that started with Monahan battling along the wall with Jordan Staal.
Morrissey is up to 49 points in 59 games and his level of play continues to rise.
I’m interested in this battle of the backups, as there is a lot of respect between the two netminders.
For the Sabres, former Winnipeg Ice forward Zach Benson has put together a solid season. No, he’s not challenging Connor Bedard for the Calder, but he’s up to six goals and 18 points in 50 games, supplying some important secondary scoring and dependable play on the third line while averaging 14:42 of ice time. He’s made a solid impression on Sabres head coach Don Granato and figures to see his role enhanced as he gains experience at this level.
The Sabres playoff hopes are precarious, but they’ve been playing at a 100-point clip since Jan. 1, so there’s no doubt that they’re a dangerous opponent.
|
